


Squashes and Skulls

by rudbeckia



Series: Spookylux Huxloween 2018 [1]
Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Domestic Fluff, M/M, Mild Gore, Mild Horror, benarmie, huxloween 2018
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-01
Updated: 2018-10-01
Packaged: 2019-07-15 15:32:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16066073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rudbeckia/pseuds/rudbeckia
Summary: Huxloween Day 1: Fall DecorBen gets home to find Armitage busy making Halloween decorations for their house. One of the decorations is very special indeed.





	Squashes and Skulls

Tiny droplets danced in the barest breeze, this way and that rising and falling, but never coalescing into drops of rain too big to be subjected to the capricious currents of the air. Streetlights stood tall and looked down on the few pedestrians who ventured out below the fuzzy orange haloes. The ground glistened with a sheen of damp that darkened their city shoes and their breath puffed out into clouds. Traffic sounds came muffled and distorted from the main road two streets over. Moisture leached heat from every exposed surface, so Ben dipped his chin below the high collar of his coat and buried his hands deep into his pockets for a chance of dry warmth. 

Turning the corner into his street, Ben glanced up ahead at his own house nestled in the middle of a row of identical terraced limestone dwellings set back behind a narrow strip of gardens mostly set to gravel, and stopped to stare, shaking his head. He walked up the wrong side of the street until he faced his home, and waited. His housemate emerged after about a minute, a pale face framed with red hair peering out from the green painted door.  
“Well? Don’t stand there shivering. Come inside.”  
Ben strolled across the road. “Hux, what the fuck have you done to the house?” Ben asked, pointing at the strings of mini squash that hung from hooks freshly screwed into the door frame. “We won’t get our deposit back if there’s damage.”  
The pale face vanished with a sneer and a snort. Ben followed inside. “That’s a bit rich coming from mister ‘I got angry and carved up the kitchen worktops with the cleaver’ or had you forgotten that?” Hux raised an eyebrow. Ben rolled his eyes.  
“Whatever. I’ll get some polyfilla at the weekend.”  
“No rush,” replied Hux. “That lot’s staying up all month. It’s Halloween.”  
“It’s October. Halloween isn’t a month, it’s a day. Not even that. Halloween is the three hours between dinner and bedtime for pre-teens. Besides, that lot will just rot.”  
“They’re dried and varnished,” replied Hux. “Wait ‘til you see the rest. There are skulls to go up too. I made some from plaster but they still need painted and varnished. Want to help?”  
Ben frowned. “Armitage Hux, have you been home making decorations all day? Weren’t you supposed to be helping your father out at work?”  
“It’s fine. I went to work this morning right after you left. Brendol stopped needing my assistance shortly before nine, after explaining to me in great detail the multitude of ways in which I disappoint him.” Hux laughed through gritted teeth. Ben shrugged off his coat and held out his arms. Hux accepted the hug passively at first, then turned and snuggled into Ben’s embrace.  
“Okay,” said Ben after a minute. “I’ll order takeaway from that Chinese place you like. Where’s the paint?” 

Hux laid out the model skulls on newspaper on the kitchen table and opened the back door and the kitchen window. Ben admired Hux’s handiwork, commenting on the fine detail of the teeth and the cranial sutures, and how thoughtful it had been of Hux to remember to make a small hole in the top of each so they could be threaded together. Hux smiled wider with each compliment until he was almost as high on praise as he was on paint fumes. They took a break to eat takeaway from the cartons in the living room while the spray paint dried enough for the varnish to go on top. 

“You start the first layer of varnish,” said Hux as he gathered up the empty containers. “I’ll rinse these for the recycling, then we can get to work on the special decoration.”  
“Special decoration?” said Ben, following Hux back into the kitchen and reeling from the lingering fumes.  
“Yes,” Hux said as he rinsed out the foil trays, cardboard lids and plastic tubs, sorting them into the recycling boxes under the sink. “I thought we could have a life sized skull as a centrepiece for the dining table.” He looked over at Ben, chewing his lower lip. “We will be having a special, themed dinner, won’t we? Once all the trick or treaters have been?”  
Ben laughed. “Yes, if you want.”  
“Good,” said Hux with a quick nod. “I thought a life sized skull with a candle inside.”  
“That’ll be real creepy,” said Ben. “You going to make it yourself?”  
“No,” Hux said, closing the cupboard under the sink, drying his hands and opening the fridge. He took out a plastic bag and opened it to show Ben the contents. “I got this one this morning.”  
Ben cried out at the sight of Brendol Hux’s dead eyes, grey skin and loose tongue, and took a step backward that made the plaster skulls rattle. He gaped at Hux’s face, grinning at him over the severed head of his father and on the cusp of laughter.  
“Well,” said Ben, taking a deep, steadying breath and swallowing. “I’ll put some water on to boil to soften the flesh off. I’m not having his ugly face spoil our special dinner.”


End file.
